Apparatus for firming and finishing leather



Nov. 17, 1936. wlLsoN 2,061,446

' APPARATUS FOR FIRMING AND FINISHING LEATHER Filed May 17, 1935 N w/y/w/mm.

/ 1Z6. 3 I *7 a4 34 a4' 3 16 FZ'G 4- [ABLE WILSON Z8 V/NVKNTOR 26 Pig? Patented Nov. 17, 21936 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE I APPARATUS ronlgigg AND rmrsmnc V Earle Wilson, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The American Oak Leather 00., a, corporation of Ohio Cincinnati, Ohio,

Application May 17, 1935, Serial N0. 22,026

3 Claims. (cuss-1) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for firming and finishing leather,-and has for one of its principal objects the provision of means whereby sole leather and the like can be made firm and have a desirable finish applied to the'surfaces in a novel and more satisfactory I manner while, at the same time, eliminating processes and devices.

some of the disadvantages attendant upon prior One of-the important-objects of this invention is to provide a means whereby pieces of leather,-particulariy cut stock for sole leather and the like, can be firmed and finished, while, at the same time, the desired shape, size and dimensions of the piece of leather .or other stock is satisfactorily retained.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the use of rollers for such a firming and finishingoperation and also to eliminate the necessity of operating on large pieces wherein no effort was made to control the shape of the piece.

Another and still further important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for .such a firming and finishing operation on leather,

which will automatically prevent excessive reduction in thickness, thereby enhancing the value of the finished product.

Other and further important objects of the invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawing and following sgciflcation.

=3The invention, in a preferred form, is shown in the drawingand hereinafter more 'fully described.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the improved and preferred apparatus in which the firming and finishing operations of this invention are to be carried out.

Figure 2 is a composite front View of the apparatus.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows and showing a portion of the face in dotted lines. Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, showing a portion in dotted lines.

'Figure 5 is a perspective view, illustrating a representative piece of sole leather or the like finished inthe apparatus and in accordance with the principles of this invention. I

As shown in the-drawing: The reference numeral It indicates generally the bed-plate or base of the improved leather firming and finishing device of this invention.

as safety elements and also .to retain Operating handles for the cams are 38 is preferably conjointly operated the like 54 for a punching,

Adapted to cooperate with these fixed side rails and to form a sort'of rectangular frame there- I with is a pair of movable rails i8 and 20 respectively which are slidably mounted on the. baseplate and which are preferably hinged together at 22. l

Positioned inside the fixed rails l2 and i4 is a portion of a die or shaping member 24 which, in this particular instance, is L-shaped to correspond with two sides 26 and 28 of a piece of leather 3!) to be finished in the die, which piece 15 of leather is shown at Fi ure 5.

Also adapted to cooperate with the relatively .fixedelement 24 is a relatively slidable element 32 also approximately L-shaped as shown in Figure land having end portions 34 and 36 which fit into corresponding notches or offset portions in the element 24. Obviously. these die elements 24-32 can be of any desired shape or size so as to accurately conform to any particular piece of leather or other material which has to be treated a or otherwiseoperated upon in the apparatus.

In order to allow of free insertion and removal of the piece of leather 30 or the like from the forming dies, the movable element 32 is adapted to be shifted into position by means of operated cams 38, 40 and 42 respectively which operate against the movable side rails l8 and 20 so as to push the same inwardly, forming the desired area and shape for the piece of leather to be treated in the dies. tioned over the ends of the cam structures both the rails bed-plate I0.

I! and 20 in proper position on the illustrated at 46, and the cam with the cam 40 by means of a link 48. A

fixed element 50 is provided adjacent the inner handle- 30 end 28 of the element 32 to assure of a better cov operation between the moving parts. This has a cam face as shown.

As shown'in Figure similar structure 52 adapted to operate upon a piece of leather or the like 30 placed in the dies 24-32 is mounted on a punch press element or ing operation on leather in the dies and on the bed plate Iii.

Either the'plunger or if desired, preferably by the temperature can the plate can be heated, electrical means so that w 2; a finishing plunger or flattening, and finishw be adequately controlled, .5

Guard elements 44 are posi- 35 and this heating is utilized'to produce desired color gradations in the finished product.

The upper. surface of the bed-plate ll upon which the leather is placed with the grain face down is of smooth, relatively soft material such as brass or the like, and the hammering or punching operation of the element 82 on the leather produces a correspondingly smooth finish on the rainiface of the leather which is in contact with the bed-plate. Heretofore, when this has been accomplished by rollers, the leather has been undesirably flattened and reduced in but with the dies'of this invention holding' the same in prcper'shape and providing against lateral expansion, this flattening and also any undesirable pushing but of shape is avoided, and

' the original thickness of the leather is maintained to quite a considerable degree, Inasmuch as the price of thissole leather is based almost entirely upon its thickness, this maintenance of thick ness during this firming and finishing operation constitutes a very important factor. Whenever it is desired to insert a piece of leather to be firmed or finished in the device, the handles I! are so operated that the cams allow of anoutward motion of the elements It and II and a corresponding outward movement, of the die structure 32. This allows of a ready insertion of the correspondingly shaped piece of leather into the die structure and onto the bed-plate II;-

The handles 4! are then operated to cause the cams to close the dies, after which the punch press element I2 is put into motion for a desired number of hammering or thumping operations on the leather which renders the same firm and alsoproducesadesiredglossorfinishonthegrain face of theleather which is against the smooth and relatively soft upper face of the bed-plate I..-

The. close fit oi the die structures around the periphery of'the piece of leather prevents any undue spreading or deforming from the desired shape andalsoincidentally prevents undesirable thinning out of the leather. I

It will be evident that herein is provided a different processfor such firming and finishing .op-

' erations on leather or the like which enables the application of. this process directly to small pieces or cut stock production and-aliowsfor the cona,oe1,44e 1 tin! of products manufactured from sole leather creating desirable physical properties on those items. The fixture 'or mold can obviously be of any shape to fit the product to be firmed and finished.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of .this invention. and I, therefore,

do not p se limiting the patent granted here- -I on otherwise than as necessitated by the prior I claim as my invention:

- 1'. A firming and apparatus for eather, comprising a smooth-faced bed-plate, a

set of dies removably and slidably mounted on the bed-plate, and a leather finishing element reciprocatively mounted above the bed-plate and the dies, together with lateral supports for the die members, certain of said supports being fixed on the bed-plate and others being "movably mounted on the plate, a wedge on the plate coopt-.

crating with the die support, and manually-opj' erated cams for shifting the movable supports into desired operating position.

as firming and finishing apparatus for leather, comprising a smooth-faced bed-plate, a set of dies removably andslidably mounted on the bed-plate, and a leather finishing element reciprocatively mounted above the bed-plate and set of dies removably andv slidably mounted on the bed-plate, and a leather finishing element reciprocatively mounted above the bedr-pla e and the dies, together with lateral supportsfor. the die members, certain of said supports being fixed on the bed-plate and others being movably mounted on the plate, and a pivotal connection between the movably mounted supports.

mnmwmson. 

